Then it had not been merely the stars to which he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor.

One of the most thought-provoking passages of Chapter 4. Nick’s description of Gatsby is incredibly telling. It shows Gatsby’s ambition, the malleability of American culture, and the divide between the haves and the have nots.

Gatsby’s ambition:

Gasby’s ambition is shown through his aspirations being not “merely the stars.” Nick is in awe of this man who has such a capacity for wonder and shoots for not just the cosmos, but much further.

Malleability:

The malleability of the American culture is shown in the second sentence. The coming alive idea is crucial to American society in the 1920’s, as people began to reinvent themselves. More importantly, “delivered suddenly from the womb” proves that the ideas of rebirth and remaking oneself is an important ideal of the American dream.

The Divide:

The contradiction used by Nick to conclude his observations sum up Chapter 4 perfectly when he refers to Gatsby’s “purposeless splendor.” The purposelessness represents the have not’s, as they live their lives with no purpose and no futures. Even though they might have hope, they cannot reach the splendor.The splendor represents the upperclass. The juxtaposition of the words is a perfect metaphor for Gatsby, because he contains multitudes(Shoutout to Walt Whitman).

These qualities, all embodied by Jay Gatsby, show that his capacity for wonder and reinvention are critical to the American Dream.